Clocks
by E-Raptor
Summary: Grace, a patient at a mental hospital, is obsessed with clocks, and when the voices in her head lead her to the Doctor and his TARDIS she realizes that her life and the universe aren't all that they seem...
1. Grace

**This is my first time posting my fan fiction, so your feedback would be very helpful in writing better stories in the future. I am aware that the past and present tense change occasionally, but I thought that messing around with time was particularly appropriate. The style will calm down in another chapter or so… Enjoy!**

Two green eyes shift between clocks. Several wall clocks, alarm clocks, and watches are positioned all over a small room. Tick-tocks begin, quietly at first, but growing in strength and speed as the eyes move faster and faster. When the noise is almost unbearable, everything is suddenly silent and the owner of the green eyes is revealed. She sits, hands folded, on a small, metal framed bed. As more of the room is revealed, it becomes apparent that she is in a hospital of some sort. The bed, a simple bedside table, and a wooden wardrobe are all that resides in the room besides the overabundance of clocks. They are everywhere, covering the walls, much of the floor, and the table and bed, but the girl wears no watch. A small window lets in light, but it remains a dark setting. The girl sits perfectly still, staring forwards blankly. She is dressed in a white dress. Her eyes suddenly dart to the door as a sharp knock resounds off on the walls. She does not respond, and eventually an elderly woman with thinning grey hair and deep wrinkles enters. She is dressed in a nurse's uniform and she smiles warmly.

"My dear Grace! How are you today sweetheart?" The girl turns her head to look at her, but doesn't speak. The old woman frowns unhappily and steps fully inside. She is carrying a card in her hand and the girl, Grace, eyes it uncertainly. "Oh, don't worry darling, it's a card from your friend, Doctor Gregory. It's for your birthday; you know it's your birthday, right?" Grace glances at a clock on the bed beside her. The woman laughs. "Of course you do, silly old me!" Grace doesn't laugh. "Oh, well, here you go. Breakfast is at the usual time." She hands Grace the card and leaves, throwing a sympathetic glance her way before closing the door.

Grace looks at the card in her hands. The front has a caricature of a doctor on it. She slowly opens it and holds it close to her face. It reads_,_

_Happy birthday from the staff at the London Mental Heath Home._ Beneath that, in neat, slanted handwriting it says,

_Grace McCarthy, Please come to my office after breakfast. We can celebrate your 14__th__ birthday with a special, one on one session. Doctor Greg._

Grace sits alone at a table in a crowded cafeteria. Her tray is nearly empty and she is again staring blankly ahead, but now the index finger on her right hand is tapping to the sound of a clock on the wall of the lunch area. Time seems to speed up as the tapping gets louder, and louder, faster and faster until a lunch lady approaches Grace.

"You done with this Miss McCarthy?" She asks, motioning to her tray. Grace looks up sharply. The woman smiles and picks it up. "Aren't you supposed to be in Doctor Gregory's office now?" Grace stands and dashes off, the sound of clocks following her. She walks quickly down several hallways and stops suddenly at the office door of her doctor. She knocks quietly and a tall man with graying hair and thick glasses opens the door, ushering her in. He smiles heartily at her and offers her a seat in front of a large oak desk.

"Well Grace, big day isn't it?" He says. She nods a little and turns her attention to an ornamental clock on his desk. He turns it away from her. "No, no Grace, what did I tell you about the clocks?" There is a pause while Grace looks at the floor. "What did we say about the clocks?" Gregory encourages. Very quietly, Grace says,

"We said I don't have to watch them."

"That's right!" Says Gregory happily. "And why don't we have to watch them?"

"Because they'll keep going, even when I'm not watching them."

"That's it! That's it exactly!"

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"Oh dear, Grace, don't start this again…" Doctor Gregory begins, sighing heavily.

"No, but suppose the clocks stop working, and someone has to fix them?" Gregory speaks slowly and clearly.

"Grace McCarthy, nothing will happen to _all_ of the clocks. People didn't watch them before you were born, and we've made it this far!"

"No." Grace whispers.

"Sorry?"

"No!" Grace says louder. "They _did_ watch the clocks, and now they stopped, and if I don't, than the clocks will break and no one will be there to fix them!" She settles back into her chair and frowns. Gregory removes his glasses and rubs his eyes, exasperated.

"Who are _they_?"

"The clock people, they fixed all the clocks." A tear slides down Grace's cheek, but she doesn't appear to be sad. Gregory stands and steps around his desk and kneels on the floor in front of her. He brushes the tear away with his sleeve.

"We're done for today." He says, and escorts Grace out of the room.


	2. The Doctor who Watches the Clocks

**Might be a while before my next post, just a heads up!**

Grace is walking down the hallway, the clock sounds once again following her. She suddenly stops in mid-step as a voice cuts into the clock noises.

_Now…Now is the time…Awaken…Now is the time for awakening…Near, so near…_

Grace looks around, spinning in the hallway. She settles on one direction, and breaks into a run, sprinting down the corridor and stopping briefly at an exit, before slamming the door open. An alarm sounds, but she continues out onto a grassy lawn. She follows the voice, determined to find the source.

_Now…the time is NOW….he is close….open it NOW…. _

Grace stops in front of the tall stone wall the surrounds the hospital. She runs her hands over the surface, feeling for purchase. She looks behind her and sees several frantic looking nurses and security people sprinting after her. She begins to scale the stone wall and eventually reaches the top. She looks down and the people below her shout for her to come back, but she just shakes her head and lowers herself down on the other side. It has been a long time since she has left the confines of the hospital, years maybe. The sidewalk and road are empty as she looks around. The nurses begin to run around to the main exit to avoid having to scale the high wall.

Several flats line the street opposite Grace, with narrow alleyways separating them. The voice had stopped and so had the clocks. It was very quiet. Grace walked cautiously to one of the alleys. She would have to hide from the nurses if she wanted to find the source of the voice. A large dumpster filled up most of the space, broken glass, paper, and metal parts of machinery covered the ground. It was dark except for a faint white light radiating from something behind the dumpster. A very faint whisper spilled from the light.

Now, open it NOW…..Before he is gone…..The last…The lasts…

Grace frowned, puzzled, and slowly stepped around the overflowing dumpster. With every step, the light grew stronger and sharper, the voice louder and more direct. What she saw amazed her. It was a huge, blue, police call box. It towers over Grace as she peers at it, listening to the voice… but she doesn't understand. She steps toward it until she is only an arms distance away. She slowly, carefully, reaches out a hand. Just her fingertips touch it, and a defining stream of shouts, random sounds, voices, (all of the adventures the TARDIS has witnessed) pour out. Grace recoils suddenly with a gasp, falling against the opposite wall of the alley. The voices are silenced. Grace slides down the brick wall into a crouched position, never taking her eyes off the massive blue box.

With a sudden creak, the wooden door begins to slowly open. A shadowed figure blocks the inside from view. They close the door behind them, lock it, and turn around. The Doctor is revealed, dressed in his usual bowtie and suit. He looks around in apparent disappointment and abruptly realized he is not alone in the alley.

"Oh! Hello there. I'm the Doctor, and you are?"

Grace stands slowly, than says quietly,

"Grace." The Doctor smiles and puts out a hand which Grace shakes cautiously.

"Nice to meet you Grace." He dashes off and pulls out his sonic screwdriver, scanning the alley, now ignoring Grace. Grace approaches the TARDIS once again, but does not touch it.

"Does it do that often?" She asks the Doctor, who answers over his shoulder,

"Do what?"

"Talk." He freezes in mid-scan, clearly shocked, but he attempts to cover it.

"Talk? It's just a silly old box, it can't talk." Grace takes a step toward him, protesting,

"Yes it can, I heard it. It has a woman's voice. It kept telling me to open something..." The Doctor turns to face her, expression now tense. He looks her up and down and notices her dress.

"You're from that hospital." He says.

"Yes."

"That's a mental hospital."

"Yes." He leans down to her level, looking into her eyes. He asks gently,

"Are you a patient there?" After a brief pause, Grace answers, matter-of-factly,

"Yes. Apparently I'm crazy." She looks back at the blue box. "And now I'm hearing voices." The shouts of the nurses calling her name echo in the street. Grace looks up sharply and throws a side-glance at the Doctor. He looks down at her, and then back at the street. Finally appearing to make up his mind, he kneels down in front of her. He holds her shoulders and says,

"You aren't crazy, Grace." The shouts draw nearer. "But you are different." Grace laughs grimly.

"Aren't we all."

"Come on." The Doctor says, abruptly pulling Grace to the box and fumbling with the key.

"Hey!" She shouts, trying to pull away. "Let me go! I have to hide!"

"We'll hide in here."

"This is yours?" He pulls her inside. He closes the door behind them and runs to the center council. He starts throwing dials and switches smiling to himself, but when he looks back at Grace he is confused. This isn't the stunned silence or gaping, "Bigger on the inside" he had been expecting. Grace appears mildly interested, but not overwhelmed. He frowns and walks over to her. Trying to catch her uninterested attitude, he says,

"So, Grace… What do you think?"

"Huh? Oh, cool. Bigger on the inside…" She answers, like someone who has been shown a rather common painting.

"We haven't met before, have we?"

"No, I'm pretty sure we haven't."

"Right."

They stand in awkward silence for a while, and then the faint whisper heard by Grace in the hospital floats through the air, apparently heard only by her. She frowns, looking for the source of the sound.

"You alright?" The Doctor asks, seeing this.

"Yah, I'm fine. You said I wasn't crazy, that this thing can talk… What is it?" The Doctor seems pleased by her interest.

"It's a time machine called a TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."

"TARDIS." She repeats thoughtfully, as if trying to remember something. The Doctor notices there is something heavy in Grace's dress pocket, but he doesn't ask.

"Yes, TARDIS. In here you can travel to any time, any place. Not a bad life I suppose."

"Suppose?" Asks Grace with some surprise. "What could be the downside?" The Doctor shakes his head and goes back to the controls.

"Oh, you know. Always worrying about running into yourself. Makes for awkward conversations." It is clear Grace doesn't buy this response, but she doesn't pursue the question.

"It's weird," she says quietly. "You ever get déjà vu?"

"Occasionally…" The Doctor answers, still at the controls.

"Well, I feel like I'm having déjà vu. It's almost like I've been in this place before; only, it's a little bit different. The Doctor glances at her, frowning. "You mean, you've been in a TARDIS, before?" Grace shakes her head dismissingly.

"No, no of course, no. I would've remembered that…" But she didn't seem convinced by herself. Without consciously thinking about it, her hand reached to her bulging pocket. This moment passed quickly however and she looked up at the Doctor.

"Do you have a clock here?"

"A what?" He said, taken aback by this sudden question.

"Do you have a clock," she repeated, "In this, TARDIS thing?" The Doctor chuckled to himself. "Well, _no_, actually. This being a time machine I never really had a need for a clock…" Seeing her odd expression, he continued, "I'm, sorry... Are you ok?" She looked much put out, as though Christmas had been canceled. Slowly, however, her face changed. Her mouth slowly crept into a smile, and her downcast eyes rose with a happy glint.

"So…" she began, hiding her glee. "You don't have a clock with you, but you're still watching over time, right?"

"Well, yes, I suppose…" The Doctor said, somewhat confused. "I've saved time every so often. Especially for your planet, always in trouble, your timeline…"

"So you, _watch the clocks_?" The Doctor smiles.

"That's one way of putting it."


	3. Grace's Watch

Finally. After all her time in the hospital, she had found one. There _had_ been people watching the clocks, and now she had found one! She had always had an overwhelming sense of duty to clocks, but now she realized it hadn't been the clocks, but what they represented…time itself. The Doctor, still a bit startled about her outburst of unexplained joy, gave her a confused smile and turned his attention back to the center council.

"Where would you like to go Grace?"

"What?" She said, emerging from her thoughts.

"Anywhere in time and space, where do you want to go?"

"Gallifrey." She answered suddenly, without thinking.

"_What_ did you say?" He said in awe. Grace didn't answer, and then suddenly bent over double, holding her head which began to pound horribly. The Doctor ran down to her and crouched down in front of her. He held her head and looked into her eyes which were teary with pain.

"Grace, can you hear me?" He asked, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning her. She gave a small nod, covering her ears as loud voices bombarded her eardrums. The same voice that had lead her to the TARDIS now screamed inside her head.

"Now…Open it NOW…before it is too late! Show him…SHOW HIM!" The voice got louder and louder, more insistent and more unrelenting by the second.

Suddenly the voices ceased, and Grace realized she had been repeating the words in broken shouts. She was on the floor of the TARDIS, but the Doctor was no longer beside her. He was at the center council again, but now he was putting down a hammer as if he had just hit something with it.

Grace slowly lowered her hands from her head and, rather embarrassed, wiped the tears from her face.

"You alright?" he asked, concerned. He was peering at her like she was an odd animal that had just gone into spasms, not sure if he should approach. Grace stood up and nodded, but didn't speak; as if afraid the nonsense words would spill out.

"What did you do?" she asked, gesturing toward the hammer he had set down.

"Huh? Oh, had to give it the old smackaroo. It's like a slap on the wrist to this old girl." He patted the council affectionately. Grace looked around her.

"So…the TARDIS…did that to me?"

"Ah, well…I'm not really sure what happened there." He said with a slight grimace. "She's never done that before you see…" The Doctor took a few steps toward Grace. "You _are_ alright? It's just not like her… Something must be up." Grace noted that there was a slight waver to this phrase. Why was he lying? How much had she said out loud? Did any of it make sense to him? Unconsciously, her hand once again went to her pocket.

"What have you got there?" The Doctor asked suddenly, lunging forward and making a grab for it.

"What?" She said suddenly, leaping back.

"What have you got in your pocket? What did you bring into my TARDIS?" He grabbed again, and she continued to dodge him. For such a gangly guy, he was fast. "She doesn't just go wonky like that!" He wasn't angry, but he looked genuinely worried that she had brought something dangerous with her.

"Nothing! Just…" He dove at her and she jumped behind a coat hanger near the door and ran around it, her back now to the center council.

"Just what?" He said, suddenly stopping.

"Nothing, I mean, just…" She took something glinting out of her pocket. It was round and metal. The Doctor approached, and as it came into full view, he nearly had a dual heart attack.

It was beautifully decorated, but unappreciated. It was singular, but unnoticed. It was covered in writing from another world, and it was a fob watch.


	4. Jump

**You know, I read recently that a Timelord's body temperature is about 42 degrees F, but wouldn't that mean that whenever they were in a climate of 45 degrees or warmer, water in the air would condense on them like a cold drink in the summer? Just a thought… Enjoy the next few chapters, they get a little dramatic though, so let me know if you think I should up the rating… I'm on a roll now!**

"Where in the…? How did you…?" It was clear from the Doctor's expression that Grace had brought something very important, or at least very unexpected, with her onto the TARDIS. It was odd though, Grace didn't really remember where she got it, but she knew she had had it for the longest time. The Doctor was still stammering.

"What the…? Where… Where did you get that?" he finally managed to get out. Grace truthfully had no idea, and she told him as much.

"Oh, let me guess. You've had it as long as you can remember?" Grace nodded. "You never really want to look at it, you just keep it with you?" She nodded again. "Grace, well, this doesn't explain everything… You should open that." He was acting strange, deep in thought and seeming to voice everything that passed through his head. He was walking around the consol, wringing his hands and grimacing.

_What's his problem?_ Thought Grace.

"What are you talking about? Hey!" She reached out and grabbed his arm as her walked past her. She glared at him for a few seconds. It wasn't like her to be forceful, but then again, she wanted answers. He was peering at her set face like he was trying to use x-ray vision.

"That watch is broken, it doesn't work. What's so important about it?" Her face had relaxed a little and she released her grip on the Doctor's arm.

"Have you ever opened it before?" He questioned.

"Well, no. But it doesn't work, why would I?"

"If you've never looked inside, how do you know it's broken?" Grace really had no good answer for this, but she wouldn't have had time to answer if she could, because at that moment, the world turned upside down. At least, it moved around a lot. The TARDIS was shaken violently, throwing both of its passengers to the ground. Grace clung tightly to the fob watch. Whatever it was, she had to keep it safe; for some reason, she had to keep it safe.

The room suddenly lurched forward and back and a terrible noise rang everywhere. She could hear the Doctor's voice over the racket. He was yelling something incoherent about dimensional tears or something, but Grace was more concerned with the increasing strength of the TARDIS's jolts in different directions.

All at once, the room was almost horizontal and Grace had to grab at the switches and levers on the main consol to avoid falling through a stairway behind her. She dangled there in space, the fob watch held tightly in one hand while the other holding onto a metal lever for dear life. A fall from this height would certainly kill her. The TARDIS gave another loud wheezing noise and shuddered again. Grace could feel movement, like she was moving very fast in a plane at take-off.

"Somewhere above her she could hear the Doctor's voice. Grace's sweaty hand was beginning to slide on the lever. She held the fob watch between her teeth and held on with her other hand as well, but she still slid downward. Several alarm lights were flashing insistently on the control panel in front of her and the feeling of movement grew more intense, the wheezing louder and the turbulence more violent. She tried to shout the Doctor's name with the watch between her teeth, but she doubted if she could be heard over the racket.

One of her hands slid off of the lever and she had to strain every muscle in her other arm to continue holding on.

"Doc-er!" She shouted through her teeth. "Doc-er!" A head suddenly peered around from the other side of the transparent center of the council. He reached down a hand, but Grace was thrown off by a sudden jolt of the TARDIS and missed her first grab at it.

"C'mon Grace!" he shouted and tried to stretch his arm further, trying to reach her. She reached for it again, but a final violent shake of the room made her loose her grip, and with a muted scream, she began to fall. Without a second's hesitation, the Doctor pulled a switch near where he sat perched on the translucent tube.

Immediately, the TARDIS swung upright, Grace experiencing the strangest feeling of falling sideways along the ground before skidding to a halt on the floor. With a graceless thud the Doctor fell of the tube and bolted upright, running to the wooden door of the TARDIS and throwing it open. From her place on the floor, Grace was shocked to see a landscape rushing past the TARDIS, somewhere that looked like a rainforest.

The Doctor ran back to Grace and helped her off the floor and, holding her hand, led her to the door. Grace clung to the doorframe with both arms, holding the watch in her right hand.

"Where are we?" She shouted as the sound of rushing air was added to the uproar.

"No idea, but we've got 'a jump!"

"What? No way!" She screamed, looking down on the trees and endless expanse of green rushing by about 25 feet below them.

"Look here now, this things going to crash in…" he looked at the watch he wore upside down on his wrist. "…_fifty_..._five_ seconds. I would suggest that we're not on it when it does!" Grace hesitated, holding the watch tightly. Who knew how tall those trees were? It could be another 100 feet to the ground after the leaves started. The ground was far out of sight under the canopy. But the Doctor was so insistent. Would a crash of the TARDIS really be worse than the risk of dying from the fall? She held his hand and nodded.

"Ok," he said. "On three. One…Two…Three!" He more or less pulled Grace out of the crashing ship with him. Grace couldn't help but scream. This was how she would go out? Probably just as confused as she came in?

The 25 feet passed so quickly she hardly registered it before she hit the first tangle of leaves and branches. They flew past her, some were thick enough to slow her decent, others were sharp and cut her face, arms and legs. At one point the Doctor's hand was ripped out of hers and she was falling alone.

Grace hit the ground with such force the wind was knocked out of her and she lay there, gasping for breath, trying desperately to fill her lungs.

She lost track of how long she had been laying there, but she had finally gotten sufficient oxygen o her brain to for some thoughts. She checked for the fob watch. Safe in her hand. She wiggled her toes. Not paralyzed, that's good.

She gingerly checked her arms, legs, neck, and ribs for damage. Her right side hurt, and sitting up on the soft ground she pulled back her shirt, revealing a nasty bruise forming there. She tried a few deep breaths and winced. She most likely had a busted rib or two, but she'd live.

Another thought occurred to her. Doctor? Was he really a doctor, or was that just a name? Where was he anyway? They had been separated while they fell through the canopy, but he couldn't be that far away… Grace stood up slowly, surveying the scene around her. It was a rainforest all right, but not like any she had heard of.

It was horribly humid and hot, she guessed a temperature in the high 80s. The ground underfoot was springy with humus and quite damp. The majority of the trees had very smooth trunks, though some of them bore long spikes and thorns; some were well over a foot long. Thank the Lord almighty that she had missed them in her fall. She examined a foot long gash in her left forearm. Well, missed _most_ of them anyway.

It was very dark as the canopy above her head blocked out almost all natural light. Straining her eyes to see, she looked around for the Doctor. She refused to believe that he wasn't looking for her. He must be within 100 yards of her. She heard a rustle in the brush to her right and she headed off in that direction, trying not to think of all the things it could be besides the Doctor.

She saw a tight cluster of trees before her. Branches higher up where broken and red sap glistened in the dim light, dripping from the broken stubs of the branches. Grace approached cautiously pushing aside lower branches. The ground was wet at the base of the trees, but not with water, but with the red sap.

Grace stepped back and, realizing her hand was wet, wiped it on her dress, but saw it was red. Strange sap, she thought. It smelled like iron. It was a bit watery as well. Her hand suddenly went to her mouth in panic. _Oh my God_. She though. Blood.


	5. The Monster of the Forest

**I have raised the rating for this story on account of some violence and a particularly unpleasant creature Grace and the Doctor come across in this chapter. It's gonna give ME nightmares! Keep the comment's coming! They really make my day. There's no compliment like a writing compliment!**

** -EH**

"Doctor!" Screamed Grace. "Doctor!" She really wasn't sure if she was calling for _a_ doctor or _the_ Doctor, but right now the only thing that mattered was that he was in trouble and she needed to do something about it. If that meant running through this creepy rainforest screaming like a banshee, then so be it. "Doctor!" she shouted again. She tried to think clearly, but her situation was becoming more and more apparent.

She was a 15 year-old girl in a bloody dress with a couple of broken ribs, a fob watch, and no one to help her. Not to mention that she had absolutely no idea where she was and, really, who had brought her there in the first place.

Working all this out in her head calmed her a little.

_Ok._ She thought_. All I have to do is find the Doctor and he'll help me. He was able to leave the place he fell to, so it makes sense that he's not…_dead. She circled the tight cluster of trees and was anxious when she observed the number of spiked trunks there. She shook her head, ignoring this and kneeling down to the ground.

She observed that the dead leaves on the ground were disturbed here and that some of them were smeared with blood. He had dragged himself by the looks of it. She stood up and followed this trail, eyes glued to the ground. That was when she heard it. It was the most terrifying sound she had ever heard. If malice, hate, evil, and insatiable hunger had a sound it would have been that otherworldly roar that resounded from a place not 20 feet away from Grace. She looked up slowly; her blood chilled with the thought of what demon could have produced such a horrid sound.

It was huge, at least ten feet tall with an ugly, distorted face. It was so skinny she could see an alien skeleton beneath its horribly stretched yellowing skin. It had four tiny pinprick eyes and a red glowing light in each. It had an almost dog-like face, but a dog with all the flesh removed, revealing a sagging mat of bare skin hanging loosely on a deformed skull. Its teeth were sharp and serrated and two fangs, five inches long, resided in the front of the gruesome mouth. A forked tongue flicked in and out between them. It stood on its back legs, so hunched over that it appeared capable of running with the use of all four limbs. The front two "arms" ended in clawed hands, not paws, _hands_, with claws three inches long and curved like meat hooks.

What made the scream force its way out of Grace's lips was what the monster was doing. At its feet lay a hunched figure, bloody and unmoving. In the dark light Grace could see the suit and messy hair. She screamed for all she was worth, which turned out to be an awful lot. The apparently angered the creature, and with another terrifying roar, it charged at her.

It was astoundingly fast for such a beast, and it was soon apparent to Grace that she needed to run. It soon became further apparent that she would have to run much faster. Her eyes grew teary as she forced herself to run despite the pain in her ribs. She jumped over fallen logs, ran through thick underbrush, and skidded through slick mud.

She could hear the monster's breath in her ears, feel its powerful and clawed feet slam into the ground, and smell its putrid breath. She gave a feeble shriek as she lost her footing and tripped on a low vine, landing on her back. The monster was slamming a clawed hand into the soil beside her, which she rolled to the side to avoid. It repeated the action several times. Apart from shier horror, Grace could think one clear thing.

_It's playing with me. It's going to play with its food before it eats it._

She closed her eyes, holding the fob watch with her sweaty and bloody hand. She curled herself into a ball as the huge hand swatted at her, tearing her clothes and surely drawing blood. She faintly heard an irritating sound, very high pitched and persistent. It got louder and higher, and the beast gave a terrible screech and stopped swatting at Grace.

She uncovered her face and sat up. It had its back to her and its shoulders were arched in what she guessed was irritation. The sound had gotten much higher now, almost too high for Grace to hear. She couldn't see what it was looking at; it was so big it blocked her view. The creature roared one final time and slunk off into the jungle.

The Doctor took one step toward Grace, and then collapsed into a dead faint. Grace stood up shakily and ran to him. Crouching at his side, she saw he had been holding his sonic screwdriver which still hummer quietly. She removed it from his limp hand and it was silenced.

With a shaking hand, she checked for a pulse and was exceedingly confused. A very fast four beat rhythm tapped out in the vain on his neck. She shook her head and tried his wrist, but was met with the more of the same. Well, at least he was alive. She rolled him over onto his back and had to swallow to avoid being sick.

His front was drenched in blood, but his clothes were only torn in a few places. One large tear across his chest and another on his left side. A large cut ran along his neck, bleeding heavily. His face and hands were covered in small cuts and bruises. Grace was lost. What was she supposed to do?

She stood up and went to the first thing she saw, a strange plant with huge green leaves. She rubbed it with her finger, was it poisonous? Well, it could hardly do _more_ damage. She pulled off a few and held one against the cut on the Doctor's neck. After a while she removed it and saw that the bleeding was slowing considerably. What had she read about bleeding? Get the bleeding area above the heart. She decided to get him sitting up.

With an effort, Grace managed to pull the Doctor to a tree and lean him against it. Somewhat awkwardly, she unbuttoned his shirt and held the other leaf against the ragged gash across his chest. She frowned. She could feel his heartbeat through the leaf, but it was coming from two places.

With the hand that wasn't holding the leaf, she pressed her hand at the place his heart should be, and felt a normal beat, but she felt an identical rhythm on the other side. This man had _two hearts_. Well that would explain the frankly alarming amount of blood. Even so, his face was much paler than it had been on the TARDIS.

Grace jumped as suddenly he gasped and his eyes bolted open.

"Grace!" He shouted, then his eyes fell on her at his side, but looking like she had just been struck by lightning. "Oh, I didn't regenerate. That's a bit odd. I thought for sure I was dead." He said looking at his hands and feeling his face. Grace hadn't moved. She couldn't have been more shocked at this moment if she _had_ just been struck by lightning. He started to stand up, but his suddenly looked like he was about to be sick and sat back down. "On second thought, maybe you should tell me what's been happening. I've been out for about…ten minutes I'd say?" Grace nodded and scooted closer to him. He still looked like a corpse, but he certainly wasn't acting like one.

"Is it just me or is it freezing out here?" One look at Grace, sweating and panting, was all he needed. "Oh." He pulled his still unbuttoned suit tighter around him. Grace saw that he was shivering.

"I'll be right back, ok?" She said. She turned to go.

"Wait a moment! Where do you think you're going?"

"To get some firewood. You're cold and it's dark in here." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Yes _Doctor Grace_." He said sarcastically. Now it was Grace's turn to roll her eyes. For a full grown man, he was acting like a pouting child.

"I'll be fine. Just stay here and shout if you need me, ok."

"Got it." Grace walked off into the jungle. She scanned the dense foliage for anything that wasn't soaked through with water.

"Aaaaagh!" came a scream from behind her. She ran back.

"What is it?" She said, panicked.

"Just testing." He said with a smile. She gave him a murderous look and stalked off into the jungle. What was he playing at? He was clearly in pain, why didn't he just let her help him? He was treating her oddly, like an old friend. They weren't old friends. She would have remembered.


	6. Memories

Grace came back with a double armful of branches she had collected from the hallow trunk of a tree. This was seemingly the only dry wood around, so she had taken three trips to and from the Doctor's tree to get them all there. As she began to make a boy-scout style fire, she realized she had no way of starting it. Embarrassed, she looked over her shoulder at the Doctor who was fiddling his thumbs and looking at the canopy far above their heads.

"You don't have a lighter on you, do you?" She asked him. He looked at her quizzically as if to say _who, me_? She frowned at his sarcasm and turned her back to him again.

"You've got it in your pocket."

"What?"

"You took it after I used it to get rid of Mr. Happy." Grace reached into her dress pocket and took out the device that had produced the high-pitched sound.

"This thing?" She asked. He motioned for her to hand it over and she did. He pressed a few buttons and turned a small dial and pointed it at the logs Grace had stacked into a fire. For a few seconds nothing happened. Grace looked at him skeptically, but was taken quiet aback when two of the logs burst into flames.

"Wow." She said, impressed. "What is that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver!" The Doctor said proudly.

"_Screwdriver_?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Don't knock it." He said lightheartedly. Grace risked a smile.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"That!"

"What?"

"Acting like my friend."

"I am your friend."

"Well stop acting like you know me then!" The novelty of the conversation had defiantly worn off for her and she glared at the Doctor with a mix of annoyance and anger.

"Fine." He said, turning his attention to the fire. Grace knew that he wasn't telling her something, but she also suspected that he had been ready to explain before her outburst. She had succeeded in building a wall between them now, so she didn't bother to mention her suspicions. Something about him acting like he was her friend irked her, and she had absolutely no idea why. That irked her too.

Sooner than she had expected, the sun began to set. It set so fast; it was like someone had just turned the world's dimmer switch down all the way. The forest was pitch black in five minuets and the temperature had dropped considerably in ten. The only light was the fire's orange light. Grace tucked her legs up close to her as she sat and she threw another log onto the fire, causing a spurt of glittering sparks to shoot into the sky.

She thought of all the things she would ask the Doctor when they were on speaking terms again. It had only been a few hours since they had last spoke but already she regretted it. He had her to thank for saving him from the beast when it was about to eat him, and she had him to thank for saving her from the monster with his sonic.

Where was the TARDIS? What was so important about her watch? Without realizing it, she had been holding it tightly in her hand and rubbing her thumb over the grooved surface. The circular patterns were as familiar as words to her, but that was odd, as she had never given it a second glance until the Doctor and the TARDIS had told her to open it.

Her forefinger moved slowly over the latch that opened the old fob watch. She put it back into her pocket. Not now. Soon, but not now.

Grace scooted closer to the fire. It had been getting colder and colder as the night continued. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. What had happened to the 85 degrees from before?

The darkness had put her on edge as well. How many of those horrible creatures were there in this jungle? Her eyes began to shift to every strange noise and animal call as the memory of the attack grew sharper in her mind. A loud rustle behind her made her twist her head around to look, but it was only the Doctor rolling over in his sleep.

Grace suddenly felt a sharp stab of guilt. He had been shivering from blood loss in 80-degree heat, how must he feel now? Why hadn't she helped him move toward the fire when the sun had set?

Grace stood up as quietly as possible and stepped carefully over to him. She wished she had a blanket or something, but all she could do was sit beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and share some of her body heat with him. It was awkward, but it was the only thing she could do. She slowly lowered her head onto his shoulder. She felt like a little kid sitting beside a parent on a cold winter night, but she didn't have parents. She was from an orphanage; she knew that. So where had that memory of sitting beside a parent come from? Her doctors had often referred to lost and returning memories as a symptom of her _condition_, but there was no way she could have that memory, was there? A tear rolled down her cheek. Why? She wasn't sad, just confused. She didn't wipe it away; she just let herself drift away. For just a second, only for a second, she could see two people. Young people, a young couple. They were dressed in strange clothing and they were in a strange place, but she loved them. She knew she loved them. The man was beside her, sitting, the woman was on her other side, also sitting. Her head was on the man's shoulder. Grace slept, another tear on her cheek.


	7. Songs and the Truth

**Hello, it's me again! I just wanted to say that you folks should also read the reviews for this story. I have been writing clues into the reviews I post and some of them may interest you. (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge!) Thanks again for your complimentary reviews! They make writing worthwhile!**

**(PS-I have noticed that a lot of my readers are from the UK, so I just wanted to say that I saw the riots in London on the news the other day and I want you to know my heart goes out to you all. Stay safe!)**

** -EH**

Grace woke up and immediately regretted it. Before she even opened her eyes, she could feel cuts and bruises she had absolutely no memory of receiving the previous day. How long had she been asleep? Everything hurt. Her back, her arms, her legs, her head, was it possible? Even her eyelids felt bruised. She opened her eyes and had that strange feeling that you don't remember how you got to where you have woken up. This soon passed and she remembered falling asleep with her head on the Doctor's shoulder. She lifted her head slowly and looked around. It was daytime; at least she thought it was.

The forest floor was lit by sunlight turned green by the canopy of the forest. The ground was wet with dew and so was Grace. She was shivering with cold, but she could tell it was much warmer than it had been during the night. Regretting every movement she made, she stood up, trying very hard to not fall over and to not wake the Doctor. She brushed the wet leaves and tree bark from her dress and legs and bent over to pick a twig from the hem and straightened up with a sharp intake of breath and a gasp of pain. She had forgotten about her ribs. Her back ached also, and a careful hand revealed four scabbed over gashes from when the monster had swatted at her with its claws.

With extreme care, she did some stretches and tested all of her limbs for serious injury, but thankfully she had been spared many broken bones. Only after she had been awake for five minutes or so did she realize how thirsty she was. Water dripped from a large leaf that was covered in dew and she held it like a pitcher and drank the few sips of water there were. Apart from tasting a little green, there was no real problem with the water. It was rejuvenating and she decided to do a little exploring before the Doctor woke up. She had chosen to let him sleep in. Besides, she really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She _did_ however want to think about the dream she had had.

It had been pleasant. She was in a house made of golden glass domes. The same couple she had thought of as she had drifted off was there. She didn't remember much beside that, but she remembered that she hadn't felt like herself in the dream. She was having the dream through her own eyes, but she felt like a different person.

In the time she had been thinking this, Grace had wandered off into the denser part of the jungle. She suddenly realized how quiet it was. Not a sound came from the surrounding trees. Not an insect, not a bird, not the slightest whisper of anything. The silence made her nervous. She wanted to do something to break it, anything. The first thing that came to mind was a song.

She really didn't know the words, but she sang it anyway. She leaned sideways against a tree and continued the song. It was an odd little melody. The words weren't English, she actually didn't know what they were, but she sang it like she understood every note. She closed her eyes, letting the beautiful song take her away. The ghostly melody curled around the trees and filled the stillness with the strange words. It ended on a lasting note and Grace opened her eyes.

She turned around to return to the Doctor, but stopped short. He was standing in front of her leaning with his arms crossed in front of him with a mystified expression on his face.

"Amazing." He said under his breath. Grace wasn't sure how to react to this. What was she supposed to say? "I had almost forgotten the words." He continued, a half smile creeping across his face. _He_ knew the song? Good, then maybe he could tell her what the words mean.

"Morning." She said awkwardly, like a child caught stealing cookies. The Doctor hadn't moved, and Grace began to suspect that he was leaning on the tree, not for effect, but because he couldn't stand.

"Grace, I think I owe you a few answers." Grace didn't say anything, but took a few steps closer to him. "Can I see that watch?" He asked. She hesitated, than took it out of her pocket and dropped it into his outstretched hand. He held it up and looked at the circular pattern on the front with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked down at Grace. It felt like he could see into her soul.

"Grace, this watch," he held it up for her to see. "It's more than a broken timepiece. It is so much more than that." He paused. "You've probably figured out I'm not human by now." Grace looked down.

"You have two hearts." He nodded.

"Exactly." He frowned, as if unsure of whether or not to continue. He sighed, and said, "Well, don't cut me off, please, but… _Neither are you_."

"_What_?" Grace said with a disbelieving smirk. "Of course I am!" The Doctor closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Hey! Are you listening to me? I'm human! I would know if I wasn't!"

"Would you?" The Doctor said evenly. Grace shook her head, trying not to listen. She grabbed his hand and held it on the left side of her chest. She waited a moment and moved it to the right side.

"I'm not like you." She said sternly. The Doctor pulled his hand back and sighed again. What was that look? _Pity_?

"Grace, try to understand. That watch…"

"_Enough_ with the watch!"

"…Is you. The _real_ you. I can prove it, just open it. _Please_ Grace." He held it out to her. She had wanted him to explain, she hadn't wanted this. What was this rubbish about the "real her"? "Grace, it will all make sense, I promise."

"No." She turned her back and started to walk away.

"How much do you remember? Do you remember Gallifrey? Do you remember the rest of us? Grace, we're the last ones!" He was shouting now. "Grace, don't you ever wonder why you can't remember your childhood; can't remember where you got that watch; can't even remember your _parents_?" Grace spun around, eyes filled with tears and face red with rage.

"I don't have parents!"

"Not anymore you don't. Open the watch, you'll remember why!" Grace was furious. Every word he said was bringing horrible visions back to her, people dying, children screaming, loss; sorrowful loss. All she wanted right at this moment was for this man to stop talking. She walked straight at him, with half a mind to punch him when she reached him.

"Shut up!" She screamed, "Just shut up!" She walked right into him, and she felt his arms close around her. She was sobbing into his shirt, her tears mixing with the dried blood on his suit. After a few minutes, he whispered,

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, but I had to make you angry. It was the only way. I'm sorry." His voice was so honest; Grace knew he was telling the truth. Images flashed past her closed eyes, horrible things.

"Is this what's inside?" She asked. He must have known what she meant, because she felt his chin lightly bump her head as he nodded in silence. "I don't want to open it." There was a pause.

"Not right now. But someday, you'll have to remember it all. This isn't you, Grace. You're in the watch. Your memories, your personality, your Timelord self is in there. Sooner or later you have to wake up." He held her for a long time, and then he put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eye. He smiled softly. "You're a Timelord Grace. And so am I."


	8. The Last Rogue Timelord

**Sorry just a boring dialog chapter. Enjoy some boring dialog! **

** -EH**

The only thing in the world that Grace was sure of had been taken away from her…her humanity. The Doctor understood this. The way he talked about it you'd think he had experienced the same thing once. He had explained to Grace that she was actually a being called a Timelord, like himself.

"When a Timelord needs to hide, for any number of reasons," he had explained, "They can use a device called a "Chameleon Arch" and turn themselves into a being of similar appearance. Their Timelord memories and biology is replaced with a person the Timelord creates. They program new memories and a new personality into the arch and that's who they become. It's very painful, many would rather put up with whatever it is they're hiding from than go through the process. Returning to oneself however is a much more bearable experience."

Grace had then asked why she could remember some things about her "real life".

"If my guess is right, I'd say that you've had yourself tucked away in that watch for a much longer time than is advised. You must have used some kind of anti-aging device to prevent yourself from growing old during this time. The _Timelord you_ must have realized that too much time had passed and began to attempt a link with you. The "perception filter" on the watch (The thing that kept you from noticing it) was too strong however and you only received a jumbled flow of information from the watch. That would explain why you started watching clocks and were put in that hospital."

The Doctor finished his narrative and sighed deeply.

"Well, we might as well get going." He said.

"Where to?" Grace asked.

"Well, I've gotta get back to my TARDIS, haven't I? A Timelord needs his ride." Grace shrugged.

"Fine. Which way do we go?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh." She had been hoping he had some kind of plan.

"Just joking." He pulled out his sonic, activated it, and scanned the surrounding jungle. He pointed to his left. "That 'a way." Grace nodded and started walking. She appreciated how he was letting her forget the last half hour. He wasn't treating her any differently, and she was eternally in his debt for it.

Grace heard a thud behind her and spun around. The Doctor had clearly tried to leave his place at the tree and had been unsuccessful at following Grace into the jungle. She turned around and walked back to him. He tried to wave her away, but she grabbed his upper arm and pulled him to his feet. He nodded a terse 'thank you' and tried to walk again, but Grace had to catch his arm to keep him from falling flat on his face

"Are you sure we should start today?" Grace asked cautiously as he caught his breath after a third failed attempt.

"I'm not a kid…and you're…not…my mother…Just let me get my…footing." He stood up straight and took a few steps. He smiled. "Come along Grace." She sighed in exasperation and followed.

They had been walking for several hours now. The sun would have been high in the sky if they could have seen it, but the jungle swallowed up the open air from view. Grace was sweating and figured she must have smelled terrible, but she had other things on her mind at the moment, such as her discussion with the Doctor. So she wasn't who she thought she was. She had gotten that. She was actually an alien with two hearts from some place called Gallifrey. A bit shaky on that realization, but she had accepted it. _My whole life is a lie that _I _told myself._ _What a horrible thing I did to me._

_When a Timelord needs to hide, for any number of reasons_… That's what the Doctor had said. What had _she_ been hiding from?

"Doctor?" She said suddenly.

"Yah?"

"Sometimes, act oddly, like a different person. Sometimes I do things that don't make sense, like get angry or sad over weird stuff. Is that the…the _other me_?" He seemed to be thinking about that for a while.

"Could be." There was a long pause.

"Will my name still be Grace?" She liked her name.

"Maybe, maybe not. Look, I don't know."

"Are you sure? Am I familiar to you at all?" He looked her up and down.

"Nope." Grace was disappointed. If he knew her it would be much more bearable when she "_woke up"_. "Well, you may have regenerated."

"What?"

"Timelords have this trick, when we're just about to die, we regenerate… It's kind of like reincarnation. Your appearance and personality can change, but your memories and experience stay put.

"Have you ever regenerated?" To her surprise, he laughed. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just been a while since someone's asked. Ten's your magic number."

"_Ten_!"

"Yah, I'm the Doctor, mark eleven!"

"_Ten_!" She repeated.

"Yes, _hello_!" He said with a wave

"You mean you've gotten yourself killed _ten times_? Geeze, how old are you?"

"900 and a bit…"

"_900 and a bit_!"

"No need to keep repeating it, I know how old I am!"

"Sorry…" Grace said. For the first time in a very long while, she laughed. "How old were you when you died the first time?" He said something incoherent under his breath. "What?"

"I was…twelve." Grace seemed to temporarily lose her voice. She just stopped walking with her mouth open and a bemused expression on her face.

"_Twelve_!"

"You know, I met an alien entity just like you once. Wouldn't stop repeating." Grace ran to keep up with him.

"So, what are some other differences between humans and Timelords? I mean, from what it sounds like there's almost nothing the same." The Doctor thought about this for a while.

"You know, as soon as you open the watch you'll know everything I could possibly tell you and probably a bit more." She shrugged, disappointed, and walked in silence. "Timelords can survive extreme doses of radiation." He said with a smile. Grace looked up, interested. "We can live at absolute zero temperatures for a short time, we have a respiratory bypass system to avoid choking, oh, and we can travel in time."

"So, all people from Gallifrey can have a time machine and just, muck about? Wouldn't that cause problems with people going and changing history?"

"Oh, no, that is, not everyone from Gallifrey is a Timelord. It's partially personal heritage and partially that we have to go through a fairly grueling process to be granted the right of our own TARDIS."

"Oh. So, how did you get your TARDIS? When you became a Timelord, I mean." He chuckled to himself.

"That's a bit of a long story. I wasn't really _given_ my TARDIS…" Grace raised her eyebrows. "I…I stole it."

"Stole a TARDIS? Were you mental?"

"Still am."

"But, if someone could just steal a TARDIS, _anyone_ could go and change history, couldn't they?"

"Ah, well, that's the snag, isn't it? In order to go and steal a TARDIS and dematerialize off into the universe, you have to then avoid all the other Timelords out to get you. Almost no one managed it."

"You did." Something like pride crept across the Doctor's face.

"Yah, yah I did. But I had been through Timelord School and training, that helped. The rest was mainly just…Luck" He paused. To Grace, his 900 years suddenly appeared in his eyes. She had a respect for him that she hadn't previously felt. She suddenly wondered how old she was as a Timelord.

"Let me get this straight, you're a Timelord because you went to school for it, but you stole a TARDIS?"

"Yah, basically. You're looking at one of the first rouge Timelords. In fact, the term _rogue_ is a touch unflattering, but we weren't held in very high regard with the rest of the Gallifreyans." One of the things the Doctor had said to her when he first told her she was a Timelord suddenly struck her.

"Um, Doctor? You said that we're the last. Did you mean the last rogue Timelords, I mean, if I am a _rogue_?" The smile the Doctor had been wearing vanished in a flash. Those 900 years came back again.

"No. That's not what I meant." Grace waited. "They're all, I mean, we're the last, Timelords, and Gallifreyans; they're all gone too." They both stopped walking.

"What do you mean? They're all…"

"Dead." Finished the Doctor. Grace was horrified.

"I'm sorry, really, I had no idea, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I've had plenty a long time to come to grips with it. You on the other hand…" He sighed, staring at her. "I don't know exactly when or why you put yourself in your watch, but it could very well have been before, during, or after the Time War. You may have been there, you may not have been. We won't know until you open it."


	9. Gallifreyan Lullaby

**I'm planning on the big reveal in two chapters! Sorry I haven't posted in forever, but my computer died and I had to rewrite a lot on my new one after the last few chapters were wiped from the hard drive. It's all good now though and here's chapter 9. So far no one is quite right on Grace's true identity in the comments but keep guessing! I can't wait for the next episode of season 6 on BBC America! Mark Gatiss ROCKS! Whovian out…**

** -EH **

**(BTW, Thanks to everyone who's still following this story and keep the comments coming!)**

A roaring fire blazed in front of Grace as the night fell as suddenly as it had the day before. She and the Doctor sat on opposite sides of the fire, which had been made in the same fashion as before.

"So," said the Doctor, sighing deeply and leaning on his back, arms behind his head. "How are you?" It was an awkward opening to a conversation, but she answered without much thought.

"Fine. You any better yourself?"

"A bit." In Grace's opinion, he still looked like walking corpse, and she also thought hiking through a hot and humid jungle for seven hours straight hadn't been the right thing for him.

"You know, I think we should take a break from walking tomorrow. Just look for food or something." Grace had been looking for a time to complain about her hunger, and she felt she should suggest it now. The Doctor hadn't complained about anything all day, and for some reason this worried her.

"No…I'm fine, absolutely peachy. We can eat at the TARDIS, maybe even pop out to Paris for a five star dinner." He said evasively. In response to her look he added, "Timelords heal faster than humans you know." Grace didn't know, but that did explain why the cuts on his face had begun to heal while she was still covered in bruises and small gashes. Even so, the large gash on his neck still seeped blood occasionally.

"Fine. Can you're _sonic do-dad_ there tell you how close we are?" She asked. The Doctor looked at her for a moment with a frown. "What?" He shook his head dismissingly.

"Nothing. That's what an old friend of mine called this thing." He had pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and pointed it in the direction they had been traveling in all day. He examined the minuscule screen on the side, and announced, "Five or six hours. Oh, that's odd."

"What is?"

"Well, the TARDIS is five of six hours that way, but it's _way_ below our elevation. Must have landed in a valley. Hopefully it's not at the bottom of an ocean. Good thing we jumped out when we did. A fall like that isn't enough to destroy her, far from it, but anything inside would have been seriously shook up." Grace thought of the chaos before they jumped. _Seriously shook up_?

"I'm gonna go get some more firewood, ok?" Grace said standing up from the dying fire.

"Be careful. Who knows how many critters there are out there?"

"Well, we didn't run into any all day, so maybe there aren't that many."

"Or maybe they're nocturnal..." The Doctor said thoughtfully. Grace smiled nervously and wandered off into the deeper jungle. As she walked she started to wonder why there were no insects. Not a one. No familiar cricket chirps or cicada screeches. She figured that just because Earth had small life forms, that didn't necessarily mean other worlds had to have them.

She started pulling the spikes off of a nearby tree. They broke off easily and she guessed that the tree was dead. She held them under her arm and moved t another tree. This one also appeared to be dead.

As she pulled at another spike with her right hand she held her left hand over her right side. Her ribs were getting better since two days previous, but bending over was still very painful.

The silence of the forest was getting to her again, and when she had wandered far enough away from camp she began to sing again, softly. This was a different song from before; it was more ghostly, almost enchanting. The voice she sang with was quite unlike her own, it had no English accent, but the words (if you could call them words) were so unlike any Earth language that it would have been difficult at best to apply any Earth accent to it.

Still singing, she turned away from a tree to go back to camp, but stopped short. The ground was moving, glittering like water. A low hiss filled the air and as her eyes adjusted, Grace realized to her horror that the ground around her was covered with small, smooth-skinned creatures. Each was about a foot and a half long and a foot high. They walked on four legs ad had smooth, long snouts like a hunting dog's. Grace stopped singing immediately and dropped the wood in her harms. How had they snuck up on her so silently? There must have been a hundred of them.

The instant she broke off her song the creatures, as one, began to hiss like a hundred angry snakes. She released a small scream and the animals moved closer to her until they were only five feet away. Not knowing what else to do, Grace resumed her song. The small creatures' hisses stopped once more and they stood still. Grace took a step to her right and the circle of creatures moved with her, captivate by her song. She began walking toward camp, hoping to catch them unaware and make a run for it. What she would do after that was still a mystery however. She could see the mouth on one of the animals nearest her and saw that it's teeth were like small white needles and jutted out of the gums at strange angles. She had to get away.

With as fast a movement as her injuries allowed, she stopped singing and ran through the crowd of animals to her right. They started hissing and took chase as she dodged the bites they aimed at her feet and legs. She soon realized that they were much faster than her and could jump very high. One jumped onto her back and held on to her collar with its jagged fangs. With a strangled yelp she swatted at it with her arms until she could knock it off on a tree. She heard the animal's screech as it was impaled on a tree spike.

Grace finally saw the firelight in the distance and started shouting for the Doctor. She could see his silhouette against the flames as he stood to look. Grace screamed as another creature hurled itself at her. This one clung to her left shoulder and clawed at her neck. She fell to the ground, not yet at the clearing, and rolled over on the animal, attempting to crush it with her weight. It crawled out from beneath her and ran away. She sat up to look and realized that they had all moved away from her and were now running toward the fire, toward the Doctor. He had pulled a burning log out of the fire and was waving it at them, attempting to keep them at bay, but they pawed at the flame cautiously, not backing down.

Grace started to sing, as loud as she could. The creatures looked at her curiously, than back to the Doctor. As one, the group moved back to her. In the firelight, she could see his confused expression, but not because of the behavior of the animals, but something about her. He was looking straight at Grace, as if trying to remember something about her. After a few moments, her gave her the 'come this way' look and she slowly stepped in his direction, still singing, and with the circle of animal trotting along with her. The animals parted, allowing the Doctor to join Grace at their center.

"Humans! Can't leave them alone for a…" He looked at her in the light from his torch. "Sorry." Grace continued to sing, but nodded toward a tree behind him. "What about it?" He asked. Grace rolled her eyes. Feeling very foolish, she held up one finger. The Doctor looked confused. She tapped that finger on her arm. "Oh! One word, one syllable…" She mimed climbing the tree, still moving slowly to avoid startling the creatures that surrounded them.

"You want to scratch the tree?" Grace slapped her forehead in frustration. She was running out of breath from singing for so long and was lucky she seemed to know the words by heart or she wouldn't be able to play charades for her life. She tried miming hand-over-hand climbing a rope, and that seemed to work. "Oh! Right! _Climb_!" Slowly, he and Grace made their way to the tree and The Doctor, being closer, started up the trunk. The trunk was smooth, but had upward facing spikes that he could get a handhold on. He climbed to where three large branches met and reached his hand down to Grace. She took it and used her legs to stay clear of the pikes as he pulled her up. They were rather cramped up there, and Grace's bad side was pushed sharply up against one of the branches. This sharp pain was enough to interrupt her song for a few brief seconds. In that time, the animals were attempting furiously to climb the tree, hurling themselves at the huge spikes above them.

Grace just managed to resume the song as one of the creatures took a fantastic leap and landed on the Doctor. Luckily, the music seemed to distract it long enough for him to throw it off. Grace's voice was hoarse from singing so loudly and she didn't know for how much longer she could keep this up.

Another five minuets or so later and the animals were still at the base of the tree, pacing and watching them with eyes that glowed dirty yellow in the falling darkness. It wasn't long after that when the sun set completely and Grace couldn't see anything, not even her own hands. In front of her. She had looped the song several times now and her throat ached more severely. Only the gentle hum of the living creatures below and the ghostly but slightly hoarse song broke the silence of the forest. Grace didn't even notice how quiet she had gotten until she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

Quietly at first, then building in strength, the Doctor picked up her song. It wasn't as graceful as her voice, but the words made any voce sound perfect. She let her own voice fade and fell asleep almost immediately, letting the Gallifreyan lullaby take her away.


	10. To Be or Not to Be

**Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, but I've just started high school in the last three weeks, so writing time has kind 'a been cut short. This is a really short chapter, but the next one should be out soon. I wrote it in a notebook while I was camping a while back, so now I just have to copy it to the computer. The last chapter of this story will also contain a sneak preview of the next story, so stick around, cus I've already started writing the next one! Still don't know who Grace is? You don't have long to wait!**

"Pilot fish!" The Doctor shouted. Grace screamed and started to fall out of the tree. "Sorry! He said, catching her by the arm and pulling her back up. A ruder awakening Grace had not yet experienced. It must have been morning as she could see the dim forest around them.

"What?" She asked, but got no further, because he put his arm around her head, covering her mouth. She tried to push him off, but he shushed her and, pointing her head to their left, brought her attention to a dark silhouette about 20 yards off.

"Mfff, mmmm mumff muff?" Grace mumbled. The Doctor let her go and she repeated, "What in Corotanta's Caldera is _that_?" The Doctor didn't answer, but the silhouette moved, a stub at the front sweeping over the ground, like a dog searching for a scent. Pilot fish? Like the ones around sharks? "Doctor! What in space-time is it?" The creature, for that was what she realized it was, had looked up and was running, _charging_, at their tree. "Doctor!" She shouted and, looking over at him, was shocked to see a look of complete and utter bewilderment on his face. "Hey! Grace to Doctor?" The animal (a being that Grace now saw looked like an ankylosaurus, an extinct dinosaur back on Earth) was nearly at the tree. Grace screamed and jumped out of the tree on the opposite side, but the Doctor was slow in following. What was wrong with him? There was a thunderous crash behind her and she ducked aside just in time as the creature run through the shattered remains of the trunk and narrowly miss trampling her. The tree's leaves were shaken loose and fell like rain from the horizontal branches. Grace stood up and yelled for the Doctor, scanning the debris for him or the monster. There was a sound like an elephant pounding its feet and Grace turned just in time to see the beast run at her. Feeling a distinct sense of deja vu, she ran into the thickest of the fallen tree.

"Doctor!" She screamed. "Doctor!"

"Oi!" Came the reply. Grace spun on the spot, branches blocking her view in every direction. She started to walk in the direction of his voice. She saw the sleeve of his suit from under a large tree branch. She ran toward him and jumped over the log so that she was on the same side as him. She rolled her eyes.

"How is it that you get into so much trouble?" He shrugged with the arm not trapped under the tree. They both froze as a loud snort sounded less than ten feet away. The Doctor pulled Grace into a crouch by the collar and they held their breath. The massive footfalls of the creature started to move away and the Doctor pulled something out of his pocket. Grace shook her head violently. It was her watch.

"I'm really sorry."

"No."  
>"Grace, if there were any other way…"<p>

"No!" She had spoken too loudly and the footsteps stopped. They both held their breath. A footstep came closer; and another; and another. It was just on the other side of the log. The Doctor pressed the watch into her limp hand.

"Grace, run." He held his sonic up to the log and it shattered with a sound like a gunshot. Without thinking, Grace stood up and started running, full speed, into the underbrush. She heard the Doctor shouting behind her, drawing the creature's attention away from her. The images of pain and death were flowing into her again, this time accompanied by loneliness; overwhelming loneliness. This was what awaited her in the watch. She was afraid, more afraid than she had ever been in her life. She looked behind her but couldn't see anything through the thick forest. Had the Doctor got away? Why had he wanted her to open the watch _now_? She slowed her running to a steady jog to think. How close were they to the TARDS? Sunlight broke through the trees to her right and she pushed aside the braches of a small tree and fell into the clearing.

It was an open strip of dirt about 5 feet wide with the forest on one side and a shear cliff dropping down on the other. He took a few steps toward the edge and looked down into the deep chasm. There, far away on the bottom, was a spot of blue. The TARDIS. But how would she get to it? Even more important, what would she do when she got there? She couldn't fly it, let alone rescue the Doctor with it. Why was she so useless? She sat down hard on the ground. She felt like she could cry, the same tears as she shed after one of her bad dreams, only this wasn't a dream. Here she was, small and helpless as the most important person in her life was chased by death. Perhaps he was already dead? No, she wouldn't permit the thought to take hold. A hot tear rolled off of her cheek and fell on the watch in her hand. Grace was helpless, but was the Time Lord Grace? She sniffed as she looked at it, stroking the complex pattern on it's front with her thumb. She heard a shout in the jungle.

_My Doctor. For my Doctor, I will die._

With a soft click, the watch opened, spilling out a beautiful yellow light.


	11. Cassidy

**Here it is, the big reveal! (Bum, Bum, Dum!) At the end I have a sneak preview of book two, the Rath of Kahn! (Just kidding!) Stay with me! I'm still writing!**

The Doctor flew through the forest with all the speed his body could give him in its current condition. Not good. His blood pounded in his ears and made dark spots across his vision. His cuts began to seep from the exertion and he held one hand to the half-healed gash on his neck.

He could hear the monster's heavy breathing behind him. Good, it had followed him, not Grace. Speaking of Grace, had she opened the watch yet?

_Any time, take your time… No hurry here…_ He thought as he jumped over a log, landing awkwardly on his bruised leg. He turned suddenly in an attempt to through off his pursuer. He hid in the gap between two large tree roots and sat perfectly still. He heard the creature's footfall continue then suddenly stop. Then he heard sniffing. Could it smell him? He held his breath, not daring to move. He heard a footstep not 10 feet away. Five feet, he could smell its hot breath on the other side of the tree. It was now or never. With a short yelp, he bolted up and ran like the devil into the thickest foliage. _Where on Gallifrey was Grace?_

In the almost total darkness of the forest, he realized it was a miracle that he hadn't run smack into a tree yet. Now he could feel low vines hanging from the branches of trees and matting the ground. He saw sunlight ahead and, tripping over a low-lying vine, fell through the last branches. When he righted himself he found that he had emerged at the edge of a deep chasm. He spun around and saw the beast crash through the trees. It paused for a moment, considering him.

"Hey there big boy!" The Doctor said with a nervous chuckle. It snorted, tossing its head. "Can't we just talk about this?" he added plaintively. It growled. "No? Didn't think so." The creature charged ad the Doctor jumped off of the cliff.

The Doctor never did reach to bottom of the chasm. Mere seconds after he left the ground, he landed with a loud thud on the floor of the TARDIS. The double doors closed behind him and the cool air of his ship filled his lungs. It felt fantastic.

"Grace?" He asked, standing up and dusting himself off. She stepped from the other side of the controls. He expression surprised him. It was, if anything, _cold_.

"Doctor." She said curtly, pulling a switch and causing the TARDIS to shudder a little. There was a long pause. The Doctor took a few steps towards her, a nervous smile on his lips.

"Nice flying."

"Nice landing." She answered, not looking him in the eye. There was another very long pause. A few controls beeped, breaking the silence like crickets. She turned back to the controls and pressed a few buttons.

The Doctor grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Who are you?" She stared at him with eyes, old eyes, but not as old as his. The realization dropped on him like a ton of dwarf star matter. He knew those eyes.

"Cass? Cassie?" He said, so quietly he was hardly audible. "Cassidy?" A huge grin was spreading across his face, and a small one formed on her. He crushed her in a huge bear hug. "Sister!" was all he could get out. The Doctor was not one to cry, but sometimes even a Timelord can get choked up.

**Book 2**

** No, no, **_**no**_**! This was impossible! Completely, totally, **_**horribly**_** impossible!**

**The Doctor approached in what he hoped was a stealthy manner. Why now, of all times? Why now? He had known they would return, but some part of him had not allowed himself to accept it. He had to get Cassidy out of here, but first he had to know what they were doing. He ran along the corridor in a crouch until he reached turn in the hall. Both hearts pounding in his chest, he looked around the corner.**

"_**Exterminate**_**!"**


	12. Heads Up!

**Alright, LISTEN UP EVERYBODY! I've been clawing my way through my first year of High School (Dum, Dum, BUM!) But now I've finally sat down to write a few chapters of the sequel to "Clocks", so I just wanted to give my readers a heads up, so, like, heads up! Here comes… "The Crystal Seas"!**


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